OFFICIAL BOOK TWELVE DICUSSION THREAD.

[lauren]

Yeah it's a good theory, but there is so many mysteries which need answering in the thirteenth book so I doubt Daniel will work that plot in the story somewhere.

[Dante]

vfdmaster2003 said:

Well that could be possible, in some strange, but such a theroy just seems too complicated of a plot line to include in the concluding novel.

I agree. It's possible, certainly, but so are quite a few other things that won't happen. It would certainly be a convoluted plotline to work into the final book, and I just can't see it happening unless the plot of B13 relies very heavily on the family Widdershins. (Note that I call them that because Widdershins is technically the father figure of the family, even though he isn't Fernald or Fiona's father.) I'm not sure if it would work without some build-up or foreshadowing or references to it in previous books, either. (Also - "Hurrah! Our other long-lost sibling is lost no more!" I just don't think so. And Fiona lists her family members on page 291, and no extra sibling is included, even where everyone else was.)

As a side note, all the three-child families in the series annoy me, as it creates a mentality that every family in the series must have three children.

Edit: That said, Fiona and Fernald's real father could have had more children after he left, in which case they would have half-siblings, although that's not the same thing. And any siblings that were never born due to Mrs. Widdershins's death, or who were born after they believed she had died (although I interpret that ambiguity as meaning that she died when they thought she did, but not in a manatee accident), would have to be the children of Captain Widdershins, so they'd also be half-siblings, so it wouldn't work. I think the former case, where their father had children with another woman after he left, is more likely - such children, though, would be younger than Fiona, and their introduction would also require us to find out who Fernald and Fiona's father is (not that I've any objections to that; I'm just not sure it will happen).

[Alfred is Present]

The answer to the 3rd sibling is not that important.

Handler could make him/her appear however (Highly unlikely) if its essential to what is the ending of the book/s.

[MrWonderful74]

The Penultimate Peril - A Brief Review By MW74
The world of Lemony Snicket has been rapidly evolving and its mysteries unfolding before us for the past several years, but in the penultimate book, a word which hear means, second last, the author bends the rules and teases us with what's to come. The Baudelaires work as concierges at Hotel Denouement, where good and evil members of VFD, many of which the children have already encountered, are attending a conference. The underlying message of the story is that nothing is as it seems, and everyone has dirty laundry, which is a suitable moral for such a book. My main issue with this book was that Daniel Handler had stretched the storyline too far. They've gone from being "minorly believable" to "no way in God's world could that ever happen", which bothers me very much, as it takes away from the series' credibility. Though not nearly as up to par nor well written as Harry Potter, I don't neccessarily think Lemony Snicket books were ever meant to be believable, but rather to take place in a world all their own, and on their own time, with their own ways of life. We watch as the once innocent children drop their values and do what they must to stay alive, even if that means betraying close ones and losing their manners-which were once very important to the orphans. It's a riveting over-the-top story that builds up some big hype for the final chapter in the series-and possibly the lives of the orphans as we know it. Until October 13th...
Score: 7.5/10

[Jacques the Environmentalist]

Guh. I don't think I like that review.
I do wish to find out who Fiona and Fernald's father is, they built up that mystery in book 11 I think it'd be very poor of handler to just say nothing more about it. I wouldn't mind not having too much more info about Gregor and Anwhistle Aquatics but I feel the father's identity is important.
I also liked how Fernald and Fiona ended up betraying olaf but sadly it doesn't appear as though they're using the Queequeg for noble means.

[lauren]

What unbelievable event was the author reffering to in his/her review? I can't remember anything too extravagant which happened in book 12. Anyways it's not like the books were always kept to a believable nature, why with all of Sunny's little teeth adventures.

[Jacques the Environmentalist]

Well the whole flying off the top of a roof thing may have been. But other than that there's nothing entirely unbelievable about it I don't think. And even that is somewhat believable.

[Sugary Snicket]

It's a fine line between real and not. Somewhat in our world, yet somewhat not. There seems to be many fine lines, i.e., the Black/White line is skewed, the reality line is skewed, the Truth/Lie line is skewed...... everything's so mixed. I really like that.

I've even gotten a little loopy with ASOUE, so much so that it seems as if I'm halfway in Snicketverse, and halfway in the Real World. I think we all are. Or is that just the more random fans?

[twistedbrain]

I feel that way sometimes!

[Sugary Snicket]

*Twilight Zone Theme plays* O.o One foot in Snicketverse, the other in the Real World.....

[twistedbrain]

"I believe I can fly, all the way to the Snicketverse!" I know, terrible. Get over it.

[Jacques the Environmentalist]

Er, ok.
Physically in the real world, yet mentally in the snicketverse? That seems to go well enough for me.

[Sugary Snicket]

Yup. That about covers it. ;D

[Jacques the Environmentalist]

Yay! So we need to get back to discussing book 12. I recently found a quote that discusses a faraway island, and while it's not too descriptive it does, in my opinion, foreshadow where the setting will soon be..

[Sora]

Is there really all that more to talk about? I think after 39 pages, we've over analysed the whole book cover to cover.

Oh what am I saying, we'll never be able to stop analysing TPP. There's just too many mysteries to solve, to many red herrings to ignore.